Flowers for Hogwarts
by Komaki Nakao
Summary: Anemone Wyatt. Dahlia Goyle. Camellia Page. Lily Evans. Four girls, one story. Marauder's era - features a prologue by the Sorting Hat!
1. Prologue

Hello, readers. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance; if we have not already met, at least. I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat. Normally, I spend my free time working on my sorting songs, but when Miss Nakao requested I write a prologue for her latest story, I decided a quick dabble into prose wouldn't hurt.

To start off, I must make a confession: there will always be sortings that stand out in my memory. It is nothing personal. There is one sorting in particular that I don't think I'll ever be able to forget. This sorting took place in the year of 1971, which seems like a long time ago to most of you, I'm sure.

Many remarkable individuals were sorted that year, all of whom – I'm sure – Miss Nakao plans on mentioning in her log of the seven years following the ceremony. However, in writing this prologue, she has asked me to mention only four of the persons I sorted that year. These four young women are perhaps what made the sorting of 1971 so memorable for me. They were each sorted into a different house, but each had one thing in common with all the others: each was named after a flower.

The first flower I sorted – and perhaps the one that would eventually leave the biggest mark in the world – was Lily Evans. You might know her better as Lily Potter; mother of Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. Lily was a curious, wide-eyed child, full of potential. She was kind, and had a firm sense of right and wrong. Gryffindor seemed like the only place for her.

Shortly after Lily had taken her place at the Gryffindor table, I sorted the next flower, Dahlia Goyle. Dahlia was just as easy to sort; she valued blood purity and social status, even at a young age. Slytherin was the only logical choice. In fact, I think she might have known which house she would be sorted into before _I_ did.

It wasn't until I was perched on the head of my third flower, Camellia Page, that I began to see a pattern. Camellia, like Dahlia and Lily before her, seemed to fit almost perfectly into one of the four houses. Camellia was beautiful, intelligent, and strived constantly for perfection in every aspect of her life, even at the tender age of eleven. I couldn't help but wonder if she was Rowena Ravenclaw reincarnated as she gracefully joined her fellow intellectuals at the blue-and-bronze table.

The circle completed itself when I sorted Anemone Wyatt into Hufflepuff. There was something a little funny about that girl, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it – figuratively, of course, seeing as hats don't have fingers. There was something awkward and out of place about her; I almost mistook her for a squib at first. I thought that Hufflepuff would be the best place for the little oddball.

It was too extraordinary to be a mere coincidence. Later on, when I mentioned it to Headmaster Dumbledore – may he rest in peace – he agreed; there was something very curious about the four young girls. Destiny was dancing in the air all around us, and we could feel it, though not even the great Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore could determine what it meant.

But, as you will read, it seems that it really was the fate of the four flowers to arrive at Hogwarts together. There's no way they could have known it, but their destinies were in fact meshed together; in the same metaphorical garden of life.

Goodness, that last line was impressive. Perhaps I should take up writing full-time?


	2. Year One

Camellia Page took her seat - at the front of the class, of course, to make a good impression on her first day at a new school – and began to unpack her things. First, she removed her book, _The Standard Book of Spells_, and sat it neatly in front of her, so the edge of the book ran parallel to the edge of the desk. Next, she carefully lifted a fresh jar of ink, carefully unscrewed the lid, and placed it in the upper left corner of the desk. At last, she removed her beautiful blue quill, sitting it down so that it ran parallel to the binding of the book. She straightened out the stray feathers, adjusted the ink vile, and made sure the book was still perfectly straight.

"Perfect," she said, beaming with pride as she sat up straight. "Now all I have to do is wait for class to start."

"Oh, you're early, too!" a cheery voice called, causing Camellia to jump with fright. Her cheeks redden as she prayed that the new arrival hadn't heard her talking to herself.

"Y-yes," she stammered, placing her hand over her heart. "I am."

"Me too," the new arrival – who Camellia could now see was a girl – said. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

"No," Camellia said politely. "Of course not."

"Thanks," the girl said, sliding into the seat. "I like sitting up front best. It's easier to pay attention."

"Yes," Camellia agreed. "I think so, too."

Camellia observed the other girl as she unpacked her things. Her hair was a wild, untamable red, but the texture was smooth and straight. Her cheeks were dabbed lightly with freckles, and her eyes were the color of fresh spring grass.

"Oh!" she gasped, suddenly looking back up. "I forgot! My name is Lily; Lily Evans."

"I'm Camellia Page," she said, thankful that Lily didn't offer her a hand to shake. Camellia didn't like touching other people's hands. She always felt dirty afterwards.

"Another flower; how neat!" Lily said, giggling sweetly. "My big sister's a flower, too; her name is Petunia."

"That's nice," said Camellia. "What house is she in?"

"She… doesn't go here," Lily said hesitantly. A hint of sadness flickered across her face. "She's a muggle."

"Oh, I see," Camellia said. Something about the way Lily spoke about her sister led her to believe that there was some kind of animosity between the two of them. Was she supposed to ask about it, or was she supposed to change the subject? She could never tell; Camellia had never been very social.

She was thankful when Lily made the choice for her, and decided to change the subject. "Well, anyway, it's nice to meet you, Camellia," Lily said, smiling once again. "I was worried that I'd have a hard time making new friends here, but you seem really nice. I think we're going to get along just fine."

Lily was correct; Camellia found it difficult to pay attention to her first Charms lesson, despite how excited she had been to start her magical education. She had taken a liking to the adorable redhead right away. Lily shared her love of learning, a trait Camellia thought she would never find in another person. Sure, the Ravenclaws she shared a dormitory with were smart, but being smart and enjoying the learning process were two entirely different things. Camellia actually _enjoyed_ being in class, no matter how dull the subject was. To her, all information was valuable information, even if it wasn't particularly exciting to hear about.

"That was so fun!" Lily said as the two girls packed up their things. "Magic is so cool!"

"It was alright," Camellia said. "It was all kind of… basic, I guess."

"Well, I've never really used magic before," Lily said, sounding a little self-conscious. "So it's all new to me. It's a little overwhelming, actually…"

Camellia tried to imagine what it would be like to be muggle-born; to start going to Hogwarts with little to no background in magic. Her father was a wizard, so Camellia had been exposed to the wizarding world her entire life. It was almost impossible for her to picture what life would be like if she had grown up completely ignorant to that part of the world.

_Hogwarts must be very intimidating for people like that,_ she concluded. _Poor Lily…_

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Camellia said. "And you can always study with me, if you need help."

Lily grinned, "Thank you so much! That's very nice of you, Camellia! You're a good friend."

"Y-you think so?" Camellia said, feeling a tiny blush creep across her face as the two girls left the classroom.

"Yeah," Lily said, nodding. "Oh, speaking of friends, here comes one of mine right now! Hey, Sev! Over here!"

Camellia got a strange feeling as soon as the boy started walking towards them. She wasn't sure what it was about him that bothered her, but just seeing him set off an alarm in her brain. Maybe it was his unwashed hair? She had always been a stickler for cleanliness. At any rate, Lily seemed happy to see him, so she elected to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Hello," he said, his voice sounding a little flat. His hair was even messier than Camellia had originally thought, and his nose hooked at the end, giving him a birdlike appearance. His silver and green tie told her that he was in Slytherin.

_This can't be right,_ Camellia thought. _He's in Slytherin, and she's in Gryffindor. That's like mixing tuna and peanut butter…_

"Severus, this is my new friend Camellia," Lily said cheerfully. Apparently, she was clueless about the ancient house rivalry. "Camellia, this is Severus Snape; we live in the same neighborhood."

"Charmed, I'm sure," he said, though he didn't exactly sound very happy as he held out his bony hand.

Camellia looked at the hand, a slight panic rushing over her. What was she supposed to do? If she didn't shake his hand, he would probably be offended. And if Severus was offended, then Lily would probably get mad, too. She didn't want to ruin her first new friendship over something silly like a handshake.

_But hands are so dirty…_ her mind whispered. Camellia chose to ignore her inner voice; she bit down on her tongue as she grabbed onto his hand, shaking it firmly.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, retreating from the shake as quickly as possible. She glanced over at Lily and added, "I hope we can be friends, too."

Lily clapped her hands excitedly, "Yeah! I think you two would get along very well."

"Yes," he said, though once again, he didn't seem too pleased about the prospect. He gave Lily a tiny, awkward smile, "I'm sure we will."

"Um… I have to use the loo," Camellia said, unable to take her eyes off of her hand. It was dirt; she could _feel_ germs crawling on it. She had to wash it, and soon. "I'll see you later."

She heard Lily and Severus say their goodbyes as she darted down the hall, running into the nearest bathroom she could find. She dropped her bag and books on the floor, turning the nearest sink on full blast and using so much soap that the basin was soon filled with lather.

"Scrub, scrub," she muttered to herself. "Gaah! Why do my hands feel so dirty?!"

"You missed a spot," a mechanical voice whispered in her ear. Camellia jumped, splattering water and suds all over herself and the floor as she turned around. She found herself face-to-face with a ghost who – if she was a live – couldn't have been any older than thirteen. Though everything about her was faded, Camellia could see that the girl had long, brown hair, and wore glasses.

"Shut up!" Camellia snapped, flicking her soaked hands in the ghost's direction, splattering water everywhere.

"Hmmpf!" the ghost grumbled, crossing her arms as she dove into the nearest toilet. Camellia could hear the sounds of her sobbing through the walls.

"Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on her," she said, feeling a little guilty as she rinsed off her hands. "She was only joking around…"

Camellia looked down at her hands; she had scrubbed them so hard that her knuckles were bleeding.

*

He caught her eye almost immediately after he entered the classroom. His hair was long – slightly longer than what would have been considered appropriate for a boy their age – and even from across the room, Anemone could see that he had gorgeous, clear blue eyes. His movements seemed to be flawless, aristocratic; like God himself was his puppet master.

"What are you smiling about?" Gretchen – a plump girl with thin blond hair – asked.

"Nothing," Anemone said quickly, returning her attention to the comic she had been doodling. "I just had an idea for the plot, that's all."

"Oh?" Gretchen said. Anemone had shown her some of the sketches she'd made for the graphic novel she wanted to write, but she could tell that the other girl was only half-interested, at best. "What is it?"

"Um… I can't tell you," Anemone said, carefully shading her character's eye. "You don't know enough about the story for it to make sense. I'll tell you later, though."

Gretchen sighed, "If you say so…"

History of Magic turned out to be just as boring as Anemone had expected. The teacher – a dull old ghost by the name of Professor Binns – droned on and on, and even fell asleep a couple of times himself. It didn't take the students very long at all to realize that Professor Binns was paying as much attention to them as they were to his lecture, and most of them took to passing notes or falling asleep. Anemone pulled out her drawings; Gretchen was one of the few who was paying attention to the lesson.

Anemone's eyes soon wandered over to the Gryffindor table, where the elegant young boy was sitting. Four others sat with him; a chubby boy, who was on the verge of falling asleep, a boy with glasses and wild black hair, and a girl with flaming red hair and a sickly-looking boy with sandy brown hair who were both taking notes religiously.

Anemone gathered up all the courage she had and tapped her friend on the shoulder, "Hey, Gertrude, who is that?"

"Hmm, who?" Gertrude whispered, eager to have something else to pay attention to.

"Him, there," Anemone said, pointing to the table, where the object of her curiosity was chatting with the other dark-haired boy; the one with the glasses. Suddenly, they both burst into hysterical laughter. The sleeping boy let out a tiny yelp as he was forced from his dreamland, while the two note-takers shushed their fellow Gryffindors with frustration.

"The one with the glasses is James Potter," she said. "I used to live next door to him; he was kind of a spoiled brat. And that guy he's talking to is Sirius Black. Honestly, it's been two months; you should probably know our classmate's names by now…"

"Sirius Black…" Anemone repeated. She liked the name; it was graceful and sophisticated.

_Maybe I'll name one of my story characters that,_ she thought absently.

"Why did you want to know?" Gretchen asked curiously.

"Oh, no reason, I suppose," Anemone sighed. "I just thought something he said sounded funny."

Gretchen sighed – apparently, that explanation was good enough – and she returned her attention to the front of the room.

Anemone was slow getting out of class; each page of her comic had to be in the correct order, or she would only be confused later on. Gretchen took off without her, claiming that there would be no good food left if they arrived to dinner late. Anemone didn't mind; she had plenty of snacks hidden away in her room, anyway. No one else was left in the room by the time she had gathered up all of her belongings, and Anemone hummed quietly to herself as she left the classroom, daydreaming about dinner-

_Wham!_ It was as if an invisible chord had tripped her as she passed through the doorway. Anemone fell forward, dropping her things as she hit the floor. Her books, papers – including her comic – and all of the other contents of her bag flew out across the cobbled floors. Her ink vile burst; and the puddle of navy slowly spread out, threatening to engulf her beloved graphic novel.

"Oh no!" she gasped, scrambling to get the papers together. She heard people laughing in the background, but she didn't pay them much attention.

"Bloody hell, that was quite a fall," one of them said, before bursting into laughter once again. "That worked better than I thought!"

"Brilliant, James," another said with adoration.

"Here, let me help you," a smooth, eloquent voice said, and when Anemone looked up, she found Sirius Black, kneeling next to her, gathering up her belongings.

_He looks so… grown-up,_ Anemone thought, her face growing bright red.

Sirius laughed, tapping his chin, "You're bleeding."

"Oh!" she gasped, touching her hand to her chin. Sure enough, when she looked at her fingers, they were covered with blood.

"Here," he said, handing her a handkerchief. He smiled; an odd, crooked smile that looked absolutely devilish.

Anemone accepted the favor, and she felt her blush deepening as she held the cloth to her chin. "Thank you," she said, averting her gaze.

"No problem," he said, continuing to straighten her papers. After a few moments, something caught his eye. Sirius blinked, holding up a sheet of paper and staring at it intently, "What's this?"

"T-thanks my comic," Anemone stuttered. "I've been working on it for-"

"It doesn't look like any comic I ever saw," Sirius interrupted, snickering. "Hey James, Peter, come have a look at this."

"I-it's manga," she continued to explain as the other two examined her work. "It's really popular in Japan right now."

James laughed, "The Japanese have funny tastes."

"Yeah," Peter agreed.

Sirius smirked, "So what, are you some kind of artist?"

Anemone opened her mouth to speak, but James beat her to the punch.

"Naw, I don't think so," he said, scratching his chin. "You have to be talented to be an artist, right?"

"Shut up!" Anemone snapped, snatching the ink-stained paper from Sirius. She didn't care if she wrinkled it beyond repair; it was already ruined by the ink, anyway. "What do you know? You're just a spoiled little brat!"

"Well, that's an awful rude thing to say," Sirius said, slowly rising to his feet. "If you're going to be like that, you can just clean up the mess by yourself."

"You're the ones that tripped me in the first place!" Anemone shrieked, her eyes flooding over with tears.

"You can't prove that," Sirius said with a smirk.

"Yeah, you can't prove that," Peter repeated, in true lackey fashion.

"Let's go eat dinner," James said. "Leave little Anemone alone with her doodles."

The three boys turned to leave; Sirius flashed one last smirk before they rounded a corner and disappeared.

"I hate them," Anemone whimpered as she shoved the rest of her belongings into her bag. She threw the handkerchief Sirius had given her onto the floor, stomping on it several times.

"_Hate_ is such a strong word," Ted Tonks – head boy and fellow Hufflepuff – said as he approached her. Anemone was happy to see him; Ted was always kind to everyone. He was tall and lanky, and had hair that always seemed to be falling down into his acne-covered face. Ted was – as everyone knew – a bit of a dork, but he was generally well liked amongst his teachers and peers. He placed an affectionate hand on her narrow shoulder, "Were those boys teasing you?"

"Yes," Anemone said, feeling ashamed and childish as she wiped the tears out of her eyes.

Ted smiled warmly, "You can't take bullies seriously, Anemone; they'll say anything if they think it will get under your skin. Trust me; I used to get bullied all the time."

Anemone's jaw dropped with disbelief, "No way, not you…"

"Mhm, it's true," he said, nodding and looking almost proud of it. "And I turned out alright, didn't I?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Hey, I know just what you need," he said, guiding her down the hallway. "Follow me; I suppose I need to pass this secret on to at least one person before I graduate."

"W-where are we going?" Anemone asked. She struggled to keep up with Ted's long strides.

"You'll see," he said, winking at her.

The pair of Hufflepuff walked in silence, past their common room and up to a painting Anemone had seen several times before, on her way to class; a large canvas depicting a bowl of fruit.

"Tickle the pear," Ted whispered.

Anemone blinked, "What about body hair?"

"Tickle the pear," he repeated, loudly and clearly this time.

"Oh," Anemone said, laughing at her own misinterpretation as she followed Ted's instructions. The large green fruit giggled, and quickly morphed into a door handle.

"Open it," Ted said, smirking mischievously. "Go on!"

Anemone gulped, fearing that this was yet another joke at her expense as she turned the knob and pulled the door open. Inside, she found a huge kitchen. The room was bigger than the Great Hall, and hundreds of House Elves scurried about, preparing a meal for the students eating upstairs. Various aromas fluttered through the air, and to Anemone they all seemed to complement each other in a wonderful way.

Ted pushed Anemone inside, closing the door behind them. The two were approached instantly by a House Elf with long, droopy ears and blade-thin nose.

"Good evening, Mr. Tonks," he greeted, bowing.

"Good evening, Muffintop," Ted said. "This is my good friend Anemone Wyatt-"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Muffintop said frantically, grabbing onto her hand and planting a gentle kiss on her navy-colored knuckles. "Any friend of Mr. Tonks is a friend of ours."

"T-t-the pleasure's all mine," Anemone stuttered. She had never met a House Elf who was so… outgoing. Now that she thought about it, this was the first time a House Elf had ever addressed her at all.

"Anemone's been having a bit of a rough day," Ted explained. "Do you think you could make her something special?"

"One chicken pot pie, coming up!" Muffintop said, grinning happily. "Can I get you anything, Mr. Tonks?"

"No, I'm fine," he said politely. "I had some pasta up in the Great Hall; it was delicious, by the way."

Muffintop nodded, "I'll be right back with your food, Miss Wyatt. Please, have a seat."

Anemone nodded, sitting down at one of the four long tables, which eerily resembled the four tables upstairs in the Great Hall. Ted sat down next to her, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"When you need a quick break, this is always a nice place to go," he said. "The House Elves are all really friendly, and you can eat all you want. If they like you, they'll even make you special orders."

"Do they like you?" Anemone asked.

Ted nodded, "Yes, I think they do."

"That was a stupid question," Anemone shrugged. "Of course they do; _everyone _likes you."

He smirked, "They do?"

Anemone nodded, "I've heard several girls say that they wish they had been sorted into Hufflepuff, because they think you're cute."

"Do you think I'm cute?" he asked haughtily.

"You're alright," she sighed.

Ted laughed, "Thanks for the confidence boost, Anemone; I wish you were right…"

Anemone frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well…" Ted trailed off, glancing around as if he wanted to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. He cleared his throat, blushing slightly as he confessed, "There's sort of this girl…"

"_Sort of_?" Anemone questioned.

He laughed, "Okay, there is a girl. I've known her for a long time, but we just now started talking and stuff. And I _really_ like her…"

"Awww, that's so cute," Anemone squealed; she was a hopeless romantic at heart.

"No, it isn't," Ted sighed. "I'm pretty sure she wants nothing to do with me."

"What makes you say that?" Anemone asked as a House Elf placed her pot pie in front of her. When she jabbed it with a fork, the flaky crust crumbled, letting the heat from inside escape in the form of steam.

"Well… she's in Slytherin," Ted explained. "And I know her family is really big on blood purity and all that crap. What would someone like that want with a muggle born?"

"Her family might think that way, but that doesn't mean _she_ does," Anemone said, trying to be optimistic. "I mean… Well, she talks to you, right?"

"Yeah…" he said, smiling a little. "I suppose she does…"

"See, there _is_ hope!" Anemone said, shoving a bite of her meal into her mouth. It burned the roof of her mouth as she swallowed. "And if she really cares about all that, then who needs her?"

Ted laughed, ruffling Anemone's already messy hair, "You're a pretty cool kid, you know that?"

She laughed, shoving another bite of food into her mouth.

"Alright, I'll do it," Ted Tonks said, his voice ringing with determination. "I'm going to ask Andromeda Black out on a date!"

_Andromeda Black?!_ Anemone thought, nearly choking on her food. Andromeda was the head girl, and – as far as Anemone could tell – was very cold, and quite stuck-up. _Oh dear… What have I done? She's going to break his heart!_

"Thanks, Anemone," Ted said warmly, hugging the small girl so tightly that she could hardly breath. "You really helped me out a lot. I owe you big time!"

Anemone swallowed, "Yeah, no problem…"

*

Dahlia Goyle sat on her favorite couch in the Slytherin common room, flipping through the chapter Professor McGonagall had assigned the class. She tucked a strand of curly black hair behind her ear, only to have it fall out of place once again. She growled with frustration; it was already past midnight, and Dahlia wanted nothing more than to forget about her homework and go to sleep.

_But I can't,_ she reminded herself, biting down on her lower lip with frustration. _Narcissa wanted me to keep watch until Andromeda comes back; and I don't want to make her mad. If I want to be a Black someday, I can't upset one of them._

"What's taking her so long?" she hissed, slamming her book shut. At that exact instance, Dahlia heard the secret entrance to the Slytherin common room start to slide open, and she quickly ducked behind the sofa; if it was Andromeda, Dahlia didn't want the head girl to know she was spying on her.

"Dromeda, wait!" she heard a male voice call. Curiosity got the best of her, and as she peeked around the sofa, she found Ted Tonks – a filthy mudblood, Hufflepuff, and head boy – standing next to Andromeda, his hands clasped firmly around hers.

_What does he think he's doing?!_ Dahlia wanted to scream. _Laying his dirty muggle hands on a Black like that!_

"Teddy, stop…" Andromeda whimpered, staring at her freshly-polished black shoes. With long, dark brown hair, pale brown eyes, and ghostly white skin, Andromeda Black was the picture of pureblood beauty. Ted Tonks had no business being anywhere near her.

"No," he said firmly. "I love you, and I know you love me too."

Dahlia gasped, _No, its impossible!_

"But-" she hiccupped. "I… my family-"

"To hell with all that!" Ted snapped, causing Andromeda to jump with fright. His face softened when he realized he'd spooked her, and he tried his best to smile while he gently cupped her face in his hands. "Andromeda, I've never felt this way about _anyone_."

"Y-yes," Andromeda stammered. "I've never felt this way about anyone, either. Ted… I think I'm falling in love with you."

"Then please," he begged, touching his lips to hers for a brief moment. "Be mine. I promise, I'll stay by your side forever…"

"Of course," she said, sounding dizzy and out of breath. "I want to be with you more than _anything._"

Dahlia watched in horror as the two embraced, sharing a long, passionate kiss. It was so disgusting that she had to turn away; her eyes might as well have been on fire.

_I can't believe this,_ she thought. _Andromeda Black is in love with a mudblood!_

Her heart dropped as she realized that she was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. Did she tell Narcissaabout what she had seen, or did she keep it a secret to protect the other Black sister?

It defiantly was a perplexing question, and she thought about it until she fell asleep behind the sofa.

Dahlia had harbored a secret crush on Sirius Black for about as long as she could remember. When they were little children, their parents had discussed a possible marriage between the two of them. Dahlia had been elated; even though young Sirius seemed to resent the idea, she was sure that she could win him over somehow. However, when Orion and Walburga Black had declined an invitation to join the Death Eaters – despite being a of a pure blood family with high social standing – the two families had a bit of a falling out, the regular play dates ceased, and the arranged engagement was broken.

But Dahlia was set on marrying Sirius Black. The Black family was rich, ancient, prestigious, and notorious for being aristocratically good-looking. Even when they were little children, it was obvious that Sirius would be very handsome someday. Dahlia longed to be the wife of someone like that; to live in a large house and throw lavish parties and wear elegant clothes. To raise beautiful children with her beautiful husband, and live happily ever after.

While she wasn't sure if she would tell Narcissa about what she had witnessed, she felt compelled to inform Sirius of his cousin's shameful affair. Dahlia wasn't sure why, but she felt like that would impress him. She wasted no time; the next morning at breakfast, Dahlia quickly swallowed her toast – and her pride – and marched over to the Gryffindor table.

She tapped Sirius on the shoulder, "We need to talk."

He turned around, his face falling when he realized who was addressing him, "What do you want, Dahlia? I'm kind of busy here."

"Who is she?" Peter Pettigrew asked, eyeing Dahlia wearily.

"I'm Dahlia Goyle," she said, proud of her pureblood name.

"Oh, you're in some of our classes," Remus Lupin said pleasantly, but Dahlia could see the skepticism he was trying to hide. "Are the two of you friends?"

"As if," Sirius snorted. "My mom used to be friends with her mom, that's all."

Dahlia's heart sunk, and a tiny ball of rage rose up from the pit of her stomach as she grabbed Sirius by the collar of his robe, "I _said_ we need to talk, and I meant _now!"_

"Okay, okay," Sirius grumbled.

James Potter snickered, pushing up his glasses, "Good luck, mate. If you're not back by dinner, we'll send out a search party."

Dahlia's face grew red with fury as she drug Sirius out into the hallway; she could hear the boys laughing at her until they reached the large double doors.

"Okay, what is this about?" Sirius demanded, straightening his robes after Dahlia released him. "Make this quick; I have other things I'd rather be doing."

"You don't have to be so rude to me," said Dahlia.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Just tell me whatever it is you wanted to tell me so we can both-"

"I saw Andromeda kissing Ted Tonks!" Dahlia blurted out, so quickly that it all sounded like one word. The secret had been gnawing away at her insides, and it felt good to finally pass the evil knowledge onto someone else.

He blinked, "Come again?"

"I saw your cousin, Andromeda Black, kissing Ted Tonks," Dahlia repeated, slowly this time.

"So?" Sirius shrugged.

"So? He's a _mudblood!_" Dahlia exclaimed. What was wrong with Sirius? Didn't he see how imperative this was?

"That's such a disgusting word," Sirius said darkly. "And so what if Ted's muggle born? He's head boy, so he must be pretty smart; he seems like a nice chap to me. And if she's happy, it really shouldn't matter."

"But-"

"I don't care," Sirius said, turning around abruptly and leaving Dahlia alone with her thoughts while he returned to his friends at the Gryffindor table.

Dahlia stood there for a moment, completely dumbstruck. A fly flew in and out of her mouth before she thought to close it, and when she realized that passersby were starting to stare at her, she left for the Slytherin common room in a huff.

"Who does he think he is?" she muttered darkly. "No one talks to a Goyle like that! I don't know what's gotten into Sirius; ever since he was sorted into Gryffindor it's like he wants to be a mudblood martyr or something!"

Dahlia was still fuming as she entered the common room, where she found Narcissa waiting for her. She was sharing an armchair with Lucius Malfoy, who had his hand inconspicuously placed on her thigh.

"Ah, Dahlia," Narcissa said giddily. "There you are. I was wondering; did you find anything out about my darling sister? I'm sure I'm worrying over nothing…"

A smirk spread out across Dahlia's thin, pale face. Telling Narcissa about Andromeda and Ted felt like the perfect revenge against Sirius.

She cleared her throat, "Well, as a matter of fact…"

*

"I guess when Andromeda's parents found out, they were furious," Severus explained as he and Lily wandered around the grounds. "Narcissa, her sister, was telling us that her mother nearly beat their House Elf to death when she heard the news."

"That's so awful," Lily said sadly. She couldn't understand how any parent could behave that way. "What is she going to do now?"

"I'm not sure," he shrugged. "If she stays with him, she'll probably get disowned. That's how a lot of pureblood families are…"

Lily couldn't take it anymore; they were supposed to be enjoying their Saturday, and gossiping about the head boy and girl was only making her depressed. What was so bad about being muggle born?

As always, Severus seemed to read her mind. He cleared his throat, promptly changing the subject, "Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

She giggled, "We're all getting together to work on homework, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, his good mood suddenly evaporating. "I'd forgotten."

"Don't be so glum about it," Lily scolded playfully. "It will be fun to study together."

"I just don't think your other friends like me very much," said Severus.

"They just don't know you like I do," she assured him, smiling brightly. She didn't have the heart to tell him that Camellia thought he was a bit untidy – but Lily was coming to realize that Camellia felt that way about everyone - and that her Herbology buddy Anemone found him a bit creepy.

"_Nobody_ knows me like you do," he said, smiling back at her. "So if this is really that important to you, I'll go."

"Yay!" Lily said, her heart flooding with joy as she clapped her hands. "Oh Sev, it's going to be so fun, you'll see!"

He snickered, "I don't think the words _fun_ and _homework_ were used in a sentence together…"

Lily laughed at his joke; she always laughed at his jokes, even when they weren't funny. "Yeah, I know…"

She was still excited when Sunday afternoon rolled around. Lily packed her messenger bag in her dormitory, humming under her breath as she shoved book after book into the bag until it was stuffed full. She tucked her wand behind her ear – she _loved_ doing that – and skipped off down to the common room.

_I love this place,_ she thought as she reached the bottom step. _And I love magic. This is almost too good to be real._

"Hey Evans, where are you going?" James asked, bringing her chipper mood down a few notches. He was sitting in one of the plushy red armchairs, looking as cocky as a king. Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black – his most trusted knights – sat around him.

"I'm going to go study with some of my friends," she told them. Almost involuntarily, she added, "Would you guys like to come?"

"Sure!" Remus said as he scrambled to his feet. "Just let me get my books, and-"

Sirius snickered, elbowing James in the side, "He's such a nerd."

"And I'll be right back," he finished, blushing slightly as he shuffled up to his room. Of the quartet, Lily liked Remus the best. He was very smart, and always had something nice to say.

"I think I'll go, too," Peter said meekly. "I really need some extra help with potions…"

"Maybe Sev will be able to help you," Lily said, happy that everything seemed to be falling together just right. "He's really good at potions."

James wrinkled his nose, "You're not still hanging around with that greasy git, are you?"

"Of course I am," Lily said, furrowing her eyebrows. "He's my best friend."

"Alright, I'm ready," Remus said, nearly tripping on the bottom step. He carried an armful of textbooks, as well as a bag like Lily's, which was also stuffed full.

"Think you have enough books, Lupin?" James teased.

He blushed again, "W-well, I'm going to return some of them…"

"You know, maybe we should go with them," Sirius said, smirking devilishly. "You know, to make sure they stay out of trouble."

"Why, that's a wonderful idea," James agreed.

"If there's any trouble, _you'll_ probably be the cause of it," Lily said, glaring at James and Sirius.

"But you said we could come," James pouted, sticking out his lower lip and looking at her from above the rims of his glasses.

Lily sighed; she hated to admit it, but James was right. She _did_ invite them, and retracting the invitation would be rude…

"Alright, if you're going, come on," she said finally. "But I don't want you picking on Severus, got it?"

"Of course," James said, holding his hand up in the air. "On my honor, or I'll feed myself to the giant squid."

"Hey James, do you even know where the library is?" Sirius asked.

"Of course not," James said, causing his friends to burst into laughter. Lily was surprised when she found herself giggling, as well. "But Evans and Lupin practically live in there, so I'll let them lead the way this time."

"We'll do our best," Remus said.

"Here, I'll help you with those," Sirius said, taking the large stack of books Remus was carrying.

"Thanks," he said, sighing with relief as he adjusted the strap on his bag. His cheeks were glowing a delightful shade of pink.

"If you don't be careful, you'll throw your back out," Lily said, holding the door open as the others stepped out of the common room. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

"I just can't help myself," Remus said, laughing nervously. "I've never seen so many books before in my entire life; I want to read as many of them as I can before I finish school."

"That's some goal, mate," Sirius said, struggling under the weight of the books.

James coughed into his hand, "Nerd."

The rest of the study group was already waiting for them when the gaggle of Gryffindors arrived in the library. Camellia was organizing her notes, making sure everything was in perfectly straight piles. Gertrude stared out the window, looking rather bored as she twirled a strand of blond hair around her pudgy finger. Anemone was doodling in her notebook, and – for reasons Lily could only speculate – a tiny cactus in a simple clay pot sat on the table in front of her. Severus sat on the end of the table, his nose buried in a book as he rocked back and forth in his chair.

"Good afternoon!" Lily said, grinning broadly at her friends.

Severus looked up from his book, frowning the instant his eyes fell upon James and Sirius. "What are _they_ doing here?"

"Hey there, Snape," James said, grinning goofily as he pulled up a chair. "Long time no see."

"I invited them," Lily explained, doing her best to put on a blissful front despite her concerns. "Peter said he needed some help with potions, and I thought you might be able to help him, Sev."

"I hope we're not too much trouble," Remus said, smiling as he sat down between Camellia and Gertrude.

"You're no trouble at all," Camellia assured him. Lily was glad that at least one of her friends wasn't bent on causing trouble with the rest of the group.

"Yeah," Lily agreed.

"What's with the foliage?" Sirius asked, taking the empty seat next to Anemone. He had an odd, malevolent expression on his face that made Lily even more nervous. Anemone was a little… strange. She hoped Sirius wouldn't tease her too much; she got enough of that from her other classmates.

"His name is Francis," Anemone said, with a bitterness in her voice that surprised Lily. Normally, Anemone was very mild mannered; was there some animosity between her and Sirius that Lily didn't know about? "He helps me study."

Sirius eyed the plant skeptically, "Wyatt, you are some kind of odd, you know that?"

Anemone's face flared up, and her gaze quickly reverted back to her drawing.

"Knock it off," Lily said, giving Sirius a dirty look as she took her own seat. "We're supposed to be studying!"

"Shhh!" the ancient librarian hissed from her desk.

"Yeah," James said, crossing his arms. "Be quiet, Evans; this is a library."

"Can we just get to work?" Camellia pleaded.

"Yes, please," said Severus. "Let's get this over with.

"If you didn't want to be here, you shouldn't have bothered coming," Lily snapped, immediately regretting using such sharp words with her best friend.

His face softened instantly, and he turned towards Peter with a heavy sigh, "Let me see what you're having trouble with…"

Lily's heart soared momentarily, _I knew this would work…_

"Stop that," Anemone grumbled, her face glowing red with either anger or embarrassment. She was glaring right at Sirius.

"Stop what?" he asked innocently.

"Don't play those games with me!" she shrieked. "You're kicking me under the table!"

"I am not," he said, crossing his arms.

"Oww! You are too!" Anemone screamed. Her eyes were starting to well up with tears. "You just did it again!"

"Stop it," Lily scolded firmly.

"I'm really not doing anything," Sirius defended.

"You're a dirty liar, Black!" Anemone spat. "Who else would be doing it?"

"It's probably 'ol Snape here," Sirius said, pointing in the other boy's direction with his thumb. "He's a right foul git, really."

"I'm not doing anything!" Severus snapped, banging his fist on the table.

"Maybe we should quiet down," Camellia suggested. Her voice was so soft that Lily's ears strained to hear it.

Remus nodded eagerly; his face was flushed with embarrassment. "People are watching-"

"Who cares what they think?" James asked, rocking back and forth in his chair. "This is first class entertainment right here, Lupin."

"I'm glad you find my pain amusing," Anemone said darkly.

"I bet no one's kicking you at all," James said smugly. "You're probably just making it up to get attention."

Lily couldn't stand it anymore. Her insides felt as if they were on fire with rage as she stood up, so quickly that her chair toppled over. She stomped her foot so hard that a shot of pain traveled through her body, "Shut up! I'm already sick of all your bickering! Can't you all just get along?!"

"No," James and Sirius said simply.

"Miss Evans," the ancient librarian said as she approached the group, looking quite taken back. "This is a _library_, and you are expected to behave in a manner appropriate to-"

"It isn't her fault!" Severus said, eager as always to jump to Lily's aid. She couldn't help but smile; she knew she was very lucky to have a friend like him. "It was all Potter and Black's doing."

The librarian cleared her throat, "Mr. Snape, as far as I can tell-"

"Ouch!" Anemone hollered again, falling out of her chair this time. She attempted to catch herself using the table, but only succeeding in knocking her cactus off of the table as well. Lily cringed as she heard the pot shatter.

"Francis…" Anemone sobbed, as if mourning the death of a close friend.

Camellia stared at the mess on the floor, and Lily couldn't help but notice that her pupils had dilated. She looked almost frightened.

James whistled, "What a mess we have here."

"I _hate_ you," Anemone snarled as she jumped to her feat. Her wild hair was slightly disheveled from her fall, making her appear – to Lily – as crazy as her peers claimed. She was glaring daggers at Sirius. "I'll never forgive you for murdering Francis!"

"It's just a plant," Peter reminded her.

"Yes," said Remus. "There's no need to get so worked up. I'm sure we can find you a new cactus."

"I hate all of you!" Anemone growled as she grabbed her books off of the table and stormed off. All of the eyes in the room followed her out.

"Now look what you've done!" Lily sobbed, beginning to cry herself. "How can you all be so mean to each other."

The librarian cleared her throat, "Miss Evans, I'm afraid that if you don't quiet down, I'm going to have to remove you from-"

"Don't bother," Lily cut her off, shoving all her things into her bag roughly before she slung it over her shoulder. "I'm leaving."

"Oh, lighten up Evans," Sirius snorted. "Can't you take a joke?"

"You're all awful," Lily said, turning her nose up at the group of pranksters before she left. Severus followed after her obediently, though she would have rather he stayed so she could go simmer alone.

Lily never found out how long Camellia stood there staring at the mess on the floor, but later that evening, Remus told her that she helped the librarian polish that floor until it was spotless.


End file.
